I took a class yesterday on Centering Prayer Meditation. Below you can find some information on this type of prayer.
It was very fascinating in that it directs a persons innermost prayer, from being inner, self absorbed prayer, to a prayer focusing on faith and Christ. I am going to try this type of prayer myself to focus not on myself, but to Focus on Christ, and Faith, to ultimately better myself.
Let's see how it goes!!
Information on Centering Prayer Meditation
http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_practices_centering
And videos of Father Keating describing and teaching the methods.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IKpFHfNdnE&playnext=1&list=PL3AD0F45445BC140D&index=44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pumnj0jNmXs&feature=BF&list=PL3AD0F45445BC140D&index=46
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Original Thought
I have had the privilege, and responsibility, to read many different books for my classes. Some new works, many old works. I am speaking about strictly non-fiction works as I have little time to read fiction now days. What continues to strike me is the lack of original thought in many of the books I have read. This seems to be extremely prevalent in newer works of research than it is in older works.
I know many people will disagree and say that there are great works out today that bring grand and inquisitive thoughts and ideas. True, I agree actually with that, but is it original? Look at any of these works today and look at how many references there are. There could be dozens if not hundreds of different works cited.
Looking at older works, or ancients works from people such as Augustine, Aquinas (though he does quote some others), they are true original thinkers. These are but two I am fairly familiar with, but there are many others. They may quote a few times, but the vast majority of their works mainly just reference scripture. Even a person I greatly admire, mainly for his theology, Martin Luther, quoted many of the great Father's of the Church, yet even he brought original thought. But is there original thought today?
I am speaking primarily about Theological works because that is what I am most familiar with. So my dilemma is: If you take many other works, reference them, cite them, is it truly original thought? You are taking words from someone else, or many others, and putting them together for your own work. You may come up with a new theory, but is it truly original if you are using others (outside of Scripture)?
And,is it heresy to have original thought in the Church (by this I mean, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, etc..the Church as a whole) that may contradict a small portion of what the current established doctrine is? If the Church is a living growing body, why is original thought at times considered heretical? Should original thought, though maybe going against doctrine, be considered the Holy Spirit working within the person to help the Church grow and listened to? Debated?
It seems frequently original thought today is suppressed when it comes to matters of doctrine (again, not speaking of scripture) as heresy. Can the Church grow like this?
I know many people will disagree and say that there are great works out today that bring grand and inquisitive thoughts and ideas. True, I agree actually with that, but is it original? Look at any of these works today and look at how many references there are. There could be dozens if not hundreds of different works cited.
Looking at older works, or ancients works from people such as Augustine, Aquinas (though he does quote some others), they are true original thinkers. These are but two I am fairly familiar with, but there are many others. They may quote a few times, but the vast majority of their works mainly just reference scripture. Even a person I greatly admire, mainly for his theology, Martin Luther, quoted many of the great Father's of the Church, yet even he brought original thought. But is there original thought today?
I am speaking primarily about Theological works because that is what I am most familiar with. So my dilemma is: If you take many other works, reference them, cite them, is it truly original thought? You are taking words from someone else, or many others, and putting them together for your own work. You may come up with a new theory, but is it truly original if you are using others (outside of Scripture)?
And,is it heresy to have original thought in the Church (by this I mean, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, etc..the Church as a whole) that may contradict a small portion of what the current established doctrine is? If the Church is a living growing body, why is original thought at times considered heretical? Should original thought, though maybe going against doctrine, be considered the Holy Spirit working within the person to help the Church grow and listened to? Debated?
It seems frequently original thought today is suppressed when it comes to matters of doctrine (again, not speaking of scripture) as heresy. Can the Church grow like this?
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2011 New Year Resolution
Why am I posting this here? To make and keep myself accountable. My Resolutions that I WILL keep.
Health:
I will lose at least 40-50 pounds this year.
I will exercise at least once a day regardless of my schedule or how tired I am.
Personally:
I will not fret over any relationship I may or do have. Or a past relationship (Reminder: They are not worth the stress)
More confidence in myself over what I do know, and work to understand what I don't know.
What is is. What comes comes. Whatever woman enters my life, then so be it. But enjoy life, it is not a burden but should be a joy.
Spiritually and Educationally:
These are combined because for me they are one in the same.
Education: I will work harder than I have the last few years. Nothing should interfere. A's are only acceptable. This is my future and if I want that PhD, A's are only acceptable.
Spiritually: It is a given, more church and more active in the church. I must remember though, since I feel there are problems with every denomination, which I lean more towards Lutheran and Catholicism (which each has its flaws), it is not the denomination I should focus on but the message. I should not focus on the flaws but more on the attributes. Focus on the Word.
Also, instead of looking inward, to look to grow personally, I need to look towards the perfect human. Jesus Christ. Looking inward is looking away from Christ. Looking towards Christ, following Christ, will ultimately achieve what I want.
I know these are lofty goals, but they are not unachievable. I will do it! And as my brother would say "Resistance is futile!"
Peace...Pax...
Dirk
Health:
I will lose at least 40-50 pounds this year.
I will exercise at least once a day regardless of my schedule or how tired I am.
Personally:
I will not fret over any relationship I may or do have. Or a past relationship (Reminder: They are not worth the stress)
More confidence in myself over what I do know, and work to understand what I don't know.
What is is. What comes comes. Whatever woman enters my life, then so be it. But enjoy life, it is not a burden but should be a joy.
Spiritually and Educationally:
These are combined because for me they are one in the same.
Education: I will work harder than I have the last few years. Nothing should interfere. A's are only acceptable. This is my future and if I want that PhD, A's are only acceptable.
Spiritually: It is a given, more church and more active in the church. I must remember though, since I feel there are problems with every denomination, which I lean more towards Lutheran and Catholicism (which each has its flaws), it is not the denomination I should focus on but the message. I should not focus on the flaws but more on the attributes. Focus on the Word.
Also, instead of looking inward, to look to grow personally, I need to look towards the perfect human. Jesus Christ. Looking inward is looking away from Christ. Looking towards Christ, following Christ, will ultimately achieve what I want.
I know these are lofty goals, but they are not unachievable. I will do it! And as my brother would say "Resistance is futile!"
Peace...Pax...
Dirk
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas
It is Christmas Eve 2010. A lot has changed in the past year, primarily on a personal level. But, what is, is. Often times in years past I would sit at home alone, drinking coffee and Kahula wrapping Christmas presents into the early morning. So much has changed this year.
Personally, I have grown stronger as a person, though I have been extremely weak at times. Only weak because I tried to control the uncontrollable. I realized that you can only control yourself. You can talk all you want, show people the error of their ways, but ultimately, you cannot force someone to act the way you feel they should act. You cannot force someone to think the way you think. You cannot show a person that has done people wrong when they think they have been wronged. You cannot make a person see the error of their own ways, they can only choose to do it themselves.
People who have wronged others, who think they themselves have been wronged, will never see their errors. They have justified what they have done in their minds, but there is never justification for wronging others. One wrong, real or perceived, is never a reason to harm others.
I do not mean to for this to be a depressing blog, just some thoughts about the year.
I was looking at Facebook and people posting about going to candlelight services tonight, and that is fantastic. I have mixed feelings about some of these people and the churches they choose to attend. It is wonderful that people have found God in their own way, and it is truly a blessing, but it also saddens me to see what some of these churches stand for.
Now, I am not judging, and I apologize ahead of time if I offend some people with this post, if anyone even reads it. But churches in Houston like Lakewood, Second Baptist, and what I call "feel good preachers" are missing something in their ministry and their lives.
These "preachers" talk about doing good deeds and you will be blessed by God. The more good that you do, the more blessings you will receive from God. For me,I don't think God is someone you should bargain with. These people who believe in "feel good" preaching, or "feel good" Grace, miss the glorious feeling knowing that there is absolutely nothing you can do to receive God's Grace and blessings.
WE ALREADY have it. We should do good simply because we want to do good to glorify God. We can choose to do good, or bad, but the level of God's grace in us does not change.
Think about it this way: When you do good, you glorify God. When you do bad, you glorify evil. And we all know who evil is. Who do you choose?
Many times this past year I asked how God could allow certain things to happen. Why did he allow people to do what they did. Even to the point of questioning my own faith. I realized it is not God's fault, we choose our own paths and actions. Everything that people do is by choice.
On this Eve of the day that we celebrate the Birth of Christ, a message: Without the "Word made flesh" we would never have understood God's revelation in full. We would never have understood God's Grace. We would never see, and attempt to understand, the Glory that is the Trinity, one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Remember to Thank God for all that He has done for us. Enjoy family and friends, but remember, it is about Jesus Christ, our Savior, Teacher, and God.
Personally, I have grown stronger as a person, though I have been extremely weak at times. Only weak because I tried to control the uncontrollable. I realized that you can only control yourself. You can talk all you want, show people the error of their ways, but ultimately, you cannot force someone to act the way you feel they should act. You cannot force someone to think the way you think. You cannot show a person that has done people wrong when they think they have been wronged. You cannot make a person see the error of their own ways, they can only choose to do it themselves.
People who have wronged others, who think they themselves have been wronged, will never see their errors. They have justified what they have done in their minds, but there is never justification for wronging others. One wrong, real or perceived, is never a reason to harm others.
I do not mean to for this to be a depressing blog, just some thoughts about the year.
I was looking at Facebook and people posting about going to candlelight services tonight, and that is fantastic. I have mixed feelings about some of these people and the churches they choose to attend. It is wonderful that people have found God in their own way, and it is truly a blessing, but it also saddens me to see what some of these churches stand for.
Now, I am not judging, and I apologize ahead of time if I offend some people with this post, if anyone even reads it. But churches in Houston like Lakewood, Second Baptist, and what I call "feel good preachers" are missing something in their ministry and their lives.
These "preachers" talk about doing good deeds and you will be blessed by God. The more good that you do, the more blessings you will receive from God. For me,I don't think God is someone you should bargain with. These people who believe in "feel good" preaching, or "feel good" Grace, miss the glorious feeling knowing that there is absolutely nothing you can do to receive God's Grace and blessings.
WE ALREADY have it. We should do good simply because we want to do good to glorify God. We can choose to do good, or bad, but the level of God's grace in us does not change.
Think about it this way: When you do good, you glorify God. When you do bad, you glorify evil. And we all know who evil is. Who do you choose?
Many times this past year I asked how God could allow certain things to happen. Why did he allow people to do what they did. Even to the point of questioning my own faith. I realized it is not God's fault, we choose our own paths and actions. Everything that people do is by choice.
On this Eve of the day that we celebrate the Birth of Christ, a message: Without the "Word made flesh" we would never have understood God's revelation in full. We would never have understood God's Grace. We would never see, and attempt to understand, the Glory that is the Trinity, one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Remember to Thank God for all that He has done for us. Enjoy family and friends, but remember, it is about Jesus Christ, our Savior, Teacher, and God.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Twas the night before Christmas
This is my version. I have not written here in a while, and this is not what I originally set this up for, but I thought it would be a good place to post.
For those that don't know, in this version, Rocky, Kylie and Koda are my dogs. Enjoy.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a dog could be heard, only a little snoring was even apparent.
Their bowls were all placed in corners with care
In hopes that Santa would soon leave them treats there.
With Koda snoring on the floor, Rocky and Kylie were all snug in their beds,
with visions of cats and squeaky chew toys dancing in their heads.
And my books cluttering the recliner and I on the couch
had just settled in after a long day shopping out.
When out on the patio there arose such a crash
That I fell off the couch onto my research stash.
Away I flew to check the door
Only to notice the door was ajar.
The moon shining through the humidity,
allowed us to see a site full of pity,
when, to my startled eyes should appear,
but a bruised up sleigh and eight crumpled reindeer.
With the driver sweating and cursing, it gave me pause,
I was shocked to hear these words being spoken by Santa Claus
Rocky and Kylie were guarding the door
While Koda just continued to snore.
Santa threw down his bag looking horribly frazzled,
the reindeer, huffing and puffing, were just dazzeld
sweat poured off this poor figure as if his hair was crying
When out of his mouth a cry came, "Oh lord, with this humidity I think I am dying"
Santa went to his crumpled reindeer to check their condition
They were untangling themselves trying to get into position
Santa asks "You OK Dasher, Dancer, how about Prancer, Vixen?
come on Comet, Cupid, pick yourselves up Donder and Blitzen"
I looked on with eye filled with wonder,
I was really beginning to ponder
With this outburst was Santa mental,
was he going to go postal.
Kylie and Rocky were no longer growling
Koda was no longer snoring
They were just standing side by side staring,
at this red suited human being
Santa got his reindeer all aligned
When he felt a little nudge on his behind
Santa said, "Donder quit, I will be fine"
Then he froze as he heard a chorus of whines
Santa slowly turned around,
looking towards the ground
Where he sees three sets of eyes sparkling
Santa eyes teared up but the sight brought back his twinkling
Santa bends down on one knee and says, "Hello little darlings,
forgive me for my outburst this early Christmas morning."
The reindeer straighten as if to attention
completely shrugging off their former situation.
Rocky walks up to Santa and lifts one paw,
being ever so gentle as not to claw
he pulls himself up to be even with Santa's eyes
to lick off the tears as Santa cries
Kylie walks up to Santa and leans on his side
as if to help Santa carry the heavy burden he has tried to hide.
Santa reaches down and scratches Kylie behind the ear
and says, "Thanks for the help my little dear."
Koda, of the three being the youngest
only knows that Santa is the greatest
Koda's tail was wagging as she was not understanding
What is wrong, on this greatest and holiest of days, why was Santa crying?
Santa looks at the three tails wagging
and says "You are RIGHT! What is the point of this crying?
Today is Christmas, the greatest day of the year!
All this blubbering, how dare I, NO MORE TEARS!"
With that Santa looks at the three gleaming faces.
"Rocky, take care old man, I promise to leave no traces.
Kylie, be sweet, take care of the other two.
Koda, keep smiling and wagging that tail to."
Santa hops up and reaches for his bag.
Grabs for three large bones that would make a dinosaur brag!
He gives each their own special treat, first Rocky
Then Kylie and last is Koda, who when it comes to food is never picky!
The three run off to their corners to hide,
I am in the shadows just beaming with pride.
Santa continues unloading some gifts and puts them under the tree.
I have to hold myself back because I can't wait to see.
Santa notices that there are no cookies on the plate
He looks at Koda wagging her tail and realizes she couldn't wait.
With that he lets out a great "HO HO HO" so loud that I had not heard such before
Santa grabs his bag and heads out the door.
Santa hops onto his sleigh
for there is no more delays.
Santa has millions of more gifts to deliver
and he has never cared if you are not a believer!
He snaps the reigns to his reindeer
he takes off so fast that he could not be any quicker.
He could be heard as he is taking off saying
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
For those that don't know, in this version, Rocky, Kylie and Koda are my dogs. Enjoy.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a dog could be heard, only a little snoring was even apparent.
Their bowls were all placed in corners with care
In hopes that Santa would soon leave them treats there.
With Koda snoring on the floor, Rocky and Kylie were all snug in their beds,
with visions of cats and squeaky chew toys dancing in their heads.
And my books cluttering the recliner and I on the couch
had just settled in after a long day shopping out.
When out on the patio there arose such a crash
That I fell off the couch onto my research stash.
Away I flew to check the door
Only to notice the door was ajar.
The moon shining through the humidity,
allowed us to see a site full of pity,
when, to my startled eyes should appear,
but a bruised up sleigh and eight crumpled reindeer.
With the driver sweating and cursing, it gave me pause,
I was shocked to hear these words being spoken by Santa Claus
Rocky and Kylie were guarding the door
While Koda just continued to snore.
Santa threw down his bag looking horribly frazzled,
the reindeer, huffing and puffing, were just dazzeld
sweat poured off this poor figure as if his hair was crying
When out of his mouth a cry came, "Oh lord, with this humidity I think I am dying"
Santa went to his crumpled reindeer to check their condition
They were untangling themselves trying to get into position
Santa asks "You OK Dasher, Dancer, how about Prancer, Vixen?
come on Comet, Cupid, pick yourselves up Donder and Blitzen"
I looked on with eye filled with wonder,
I was really beginning to ponder
With this outburst was Santa mental,
was he going to go postal.
Kylie and Rocky were no longer growling
Koda was no longer snoring
They were just standing side by side staring,
at this red suited human being
Santa got his reindeer all aligned
When he felt a little nudge on his behind
Santa said, "Donder quit, I will be fine"
Then he froze as he heard a chorus of whines
Santa slowly turned around,
looking towards the ground
Where he sees three sets of eyes sparkling
Santa eyes teared up but the sight brought back his twinkling
Santa bends down on one knee and says, "Hello little darlings,
forgive me for my outburst this early Christmas morning."
The reindeer straighten as if to attention
completely shrugging off their former situation.
Rocky walks up to Santa and lifts one paw,
being ever so gentle as not to claw
he pulls himself up to be even with Santa's eyes
to lick off the tears as Santa cries
Kylie walks up to Santa and leans on his side
as if to help Santa carry the heavy burden he has tried to hide.
Santa reaches down and scratches Kylie behind the ear
and says, "Thanks for the help my little dear."
Koda, of the three being the youngest
only knows that Santa is the greatest
Koda's tail was wagging as she was not understanding
What is wrong, on this greatest and holiest of days, why was Santa crying?
Santa looks at the three tails wagging
and says "You are RIGHT! What is the point of this crying?
Today is Christmas, the greatest day of the year!
All this blubbering, how dare I, NO MORE TEARS!"
With that Santa looks at the three gleaming faces.
"Rocky, take care old man, I promise to leave no traces.
Kylie, be sweet, take care of the other two.
Koda, keep smiling and wagging that tail to."
Santa hops up and reaches for his bag.
Grabs for three large bones that would make a dinosaur brag!
He gives each their own special treat, first Rocky
Then Kylie and last is Koda, who when it comes to food is never picky!
The three run off to their corners to hide,
I am in the shadows just beaming with pride.
Santa continues unloading some gifts and puts them under the tree.
I have to hold myself back because I can't wait to see.
Santa notices that there are no cookies on the plate
He looks at Koda wagging her tail and realizes she couldn't wait.
With that he lets out a great "HO HO HO" so loud that I had not heard such before
Santa grabs his bag and heads out the door.
Santa hops onto his sleigh
for there is no more delays.
Santa has millions of more gifts to deliver
and he has never cared if you are not a believer!
He snaps the reigns to his reindeer
he takes off so fast that he could not be any quicker.
He could be heard as he is taking off saying
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Division
I mean unwarranted division, in my opinion, of the different sects of Christianity. There are so many different parts of Christianity such as Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc...and I feel that is why Christianity seems to be losing the worldwide battle. The worldwide battle against secularism, atheism, Islam, and all other religions or beliefs that in some way deny Jesus as the Son of God, our Savior, our Christ.
We are losing because we are divided. Catholics were divided even before the reformation was started by Martin Luther. And ever since, there are splits, from splits from splits that the family tree of Christ's Church should not have any branches, but has hundreds. This is distressing to me.
When Martin Luther started the reformation one of his biggest problems with the Catholic Church was "indulgences". An indulgence is when a person would give money to have their sins absolved. Many denominations today do not do this anymore, not even the Catholic Church, Lutheran, Methodist, and so on. But many are now doing the exact same thing. I hear of many preachers saying that if you want to win God's affection, or win his grace, that you must do all kinds of good deeds including giving all your money to that preacher (I use the term preacher loosely for these people) and God will give you fame, glory and riches. I really cannot name one person that gave all their money to one of these preachers that became rich and famous, they just became poor. They use the story of Job for justification, in error. They completely miss and bastardize the story of Job for their own personal financial gain. This creates great division within Christianity. Greed.
Before I continue, let me address exactly why we should do good. Some people will say "Why should I do something good if I don't get anything in return." To those, I will call selfish. We should do good for goods sake. It is simply the right thing to do. We do things unselfishly, not expecting anything in return, to honor God. If you do good expecting something in return, you are making yourself your own god. Which, I assure you that you are not. There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn God's love. You already and always have had God's love.
Another issue I want to address are these churches that call themselves "bible based" churches. Seriously? I do not understand this concept. All Christian churches are Bible based. They say that anything that is not written in the Bible should not be done. Again, seriously? If this is the case then you are denying all traditions before the Bible was actually written. Do they really think the Bible was written immediately after Jesus died? NO! So, what did the early Christians do? Sit around waiting for the Bible to be written? Of course not. I say, that if you deny tradition then you deny part of Christian heritage. If you deny many writings of the early Church, you deny wisdom and knowledge. And this is where division comes from.
What should we do as Christians? Become educated about our religion and not only spread the word of Jesus Christ, but spread the education. If we do not. We fail again.
We failed God when Adam and Eve sinned. We fail God every time we sin. God never will quit loving us even though we continue to fail God. But if we keep the divisions, we will keep failing God. We are one body in Christ.
These division greatly distress and saddens me.
We are losing because we are divided. Catholics were divided even before the reformation was started by Martin Luther. And ever since, there are splits, from splits from splits that the family tree of Christ's Church should not have any branches, but has hundreds. This is distressing to me.
When Martin Luther started the reformation one of his biggest problems with the Catholic Church was "indulgences". An indulgence is when a person would give money to have their sins absolved. Many denominations today do not do this anymore, not even the Catholic Church, Lutheran, Methodist, and so on. But many are now doing the exact same thing. I hear of many preachers saying that if you want to win God's affection, or win his grace, that you must do all kinds of good deeds including giving all your money to that preacher (I use the term preacher loosely for these people) and God will give you fame, glory and riches. I really cannot name one person that gave all their money to one of these preachers that became rich and famous, they just became poor. They use the story of Job for justification, in error. They completely miss and bastardize the story of Job for their own personal financial gain. This creates great division within Christianity. Greed.
Before I continue, let me address exactly why we should do good. Some people will say "Why should I do something good if I don't get anything in return." To those, I will call selfish. We should do good for goods sake. It is simply the right thing to do. We do things unselfishly, not expecting anything in return, to honor God. If you do good expecting something in return, you are making yourself your own god. Which, I assure you that you are not. There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn God's love. You already and always have had God's love.
Another issue I want to address are these churches that call themselves "bible based" churches. Seriously? I do not understand this concept. All Christian churches are Bible based. They say that anything that is not written in the Bible should not be done. Again, seriously? If this is the case then you are denying all traditions before the Bible was actually written. Do they really think the Bible was written immediately after Jesus died? NO! So, what did the early Christians do? Sit around waiting for the Bible to be written? Of course not. I say, that if you deny tradition then you deny part of Christian heritage. If you deny many writings of the early Church, you deny wisdom and knowledge. And this is where division comes from.
What should we do as Christians? Become educated about our religion and not only spread the word of Jesus Christ, but spread the education. If we do not. We fail again.
We failed God when Adam and Eve sinned. We fail God every time we sin. God never will quit loving us even though we continue to fail God. But if we keep the divisions, we will keep failing God. We are one body in Christ.
These division greatly distress and saddens me.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Trinity Part 1
I called this blog "Trinity Part 1" because I fully expect and intend on revisiting this quite complex subject.
The Holy Trinity is a theology of great significance within the Christian religion. The mystery of the Trinity can be quite difficult to understand and many Christians have a different understanding of the Trinity. This article is a meager attempt at bringing some meaning to my understanding of the Trinity, cultured in and outside of class, and attempting to not be heretical to the Roman Catholic Church nor to Lutherans, Episcopalians, etc…
The Holy Trinity: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is truly one of the great mysteries within the Christian community. The understanding of the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity is confusing to people and has been studied and written about for over 2000 years. My understanding of the Trinity comes from the bottom up, from not knowing the meaning to coming to a fuller, yet forever insufficient understanding, of the Trinity. I say a forever insufficient understanding for the simple reason that I may read, believe and comprehend the tenets of the Trinity, but I, as a human, cannot fully understand this Mystery. This Mystery, as it is understood by the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran, and many others is such: The Trinity is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but still one God. As it says in the Nicene Creed, God from God, and the Holy Spirit is begotten from the Father and Son, not created, but begotten. Yet, these three natures are one. Are they three persons? Yes, and no. Is it three Gods? NO! It is one God, but with three natures all with one will. Confusing? Yes, and I hope I have gotten this part correct!
As I have struggled with my understanding I have tried to look at several issues surrounding the Trinity. God is the first person of the Trinity. There is not much to misunderstand about Him. He is God, from the beginning, now and forever will be. God created everything and continually creates everything according to his will. He is forever unchanging, it is humans who change in order to better understand the incomprehensible being of God. God is the Trinity as much as Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
There are many issues that I can look at in trying to understand the Trinity. For instance, Mary, mother of Jesus or mother of God? Both perhaps, as she was the human mother of Jesus, but since Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity, who is God, then understandably, from simple deduction, the term Mother of God fits her quite easily and nicely.
The Lutheran Augsburg Confession speaks of the Trinity and states in Article I,
"Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; 2] that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and 3] yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term "person" 4] they use as the Fathers have used it, to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of itself."
The confession continues in Article III by stating about Jesus Christ,
“Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in 2] the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and 3] buried, that He might reconcile the Father unto us, and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men.”
As a Lutheran myself, with enormous respect for the Roman Catholic Church, I believe these two sections adequately describe the Holy Trinity, but does not help in the understanding of the Trinity.
Many Christians believe certain tenets of Christianity blindly, without question, but I want to understand why, while also believing. As the Augsburg Confession states the belief, which I recite and believe, I am forced to look further for a better understanding. Saint Augustine wrote an entire book trying to explain the mystery of the Trinity. At the end of his work, The Trinity, Saint Augustine wrote a prayer that stated,
“O Lord our God, we believe in you, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Truth would not have said, Go and baptize the nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), unless you were a triad. Nor would you have commanded us to be baptized, Lord God, in the name of any who is not Lord God. Nor would it have been said with divine authority, Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one God (Dt 6:4), unless while being a triad you were still one Lord God. And if you, God and Father, were yourself also the Son your Word Jesus Christ, were yourself also your gift the Holy Spirit, we would not read in the documents of truth God sent his Son (Gal 4:4), nor would you, only-begotten one, have said of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (Jn14:26) and whom I will send you from the Father (Jn 15:26)”
This I thought is a beautiful expression of the Trinity, and Augustine’s own personal struggle to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
The last couple of paragraphs were recitals of Luther’s confession and Saint Augustine’s understanding of the Trinity. This helps in my understanding of the Trinity, but I have not spoken much about scriptural basis for the Trinity. The Bible is riddled with references to the Trinity, but there are two sections I want to take a quick look at.
The first verse is John 3:31-35. It states,
“He who comes from above is above all others; he who is of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, but his testimony is not accepted by anybody; though anyone who does accept his testimony is attesting that God is true, since he who God has sent speaks God’s own words, for God gives him the Spirit without reserve. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to his hands.”
This scripture, as my meager understanding allows, is a perfect example of the Trinity being spoken of in scripture. This passage has all three persons of the Trinity. It seems quite complex, yet simple.
A second scriptural passage is also from John 4:21-24 Jesus said,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour is coming –indeed is already here—when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father seeks. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus spoke the truth, and is the Word of God. As this is a short article, I cannot go into the Old Testament and quote from it the Trinitarian passages, but there are many which has helped me to understand the Trinity.
I shall try to draw this article to a close, feeling that I have not adequately explained my journey in understanding the Trinity. I will try however to explain it again. The Trinity is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three natures of the Trinity are working as one God, not three separate persons, but one person with three natures. God is God, Jesus is God with a human nature and the Holy Spirit works through the Father and Son in creation. Jesus has both Divine and human nature as only God can forgive human sins, but it was Jesus’ human nature that died on the cross for humanity as God cannot die as seen in Jesus’ resurrection. There is but one God, forever unchanging, and Jesus’ human body was born of the Virgin Mary, but he is also eternal.
As Saint Augustine did, let me end with my own prayer:
Father, please forgive my ignorance as I attempt to understand all of your mysteries and give me patience with myself as I work towards that understanding. I pray for your eternal guidance, your redemptive Son, and work through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Holy Trinity is a theology of great significance within the Christian religion. The mystery of the Trinity can be quite difficult to understand and many Christians have a different understanding of the Trinity. This article is a meager attempt at bringing some meaning to my understanding of the Trinity, cultured in and outside of class, and attempting to not be heretical to the Roman Catholic Church nor to Lutherans, Episcopalians, etc…
The Holy Trinity: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is truly one of the great mysteries within the Christian community. The understanding of the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity is confusing to people and has been studied and written about for over 2000 years. My understanding of the Trinity comes from the bottom up, from not knowing the meaning to coming to a fuller, yet forever insufficient understanding, of the Trinity. I say a forever insufficient understanding for the simple reason that I may read, believe and comprehend the tenets of the Trinity, but I, as a human, cannot fully understand this Mystery. This Mystery, as it is understood by the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran, and many others is such: The Trinity is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but still one God. As it says in the Nicene Creed, God from God, and the Holy Spirit is begotten from the Father and Son, not created, but begotten. Yet, these three natures are one. Are they three persons? Yes, and no. Is it three Gods? NO! It is one God, but with three natures all with one will. Confusing? Yes, and I hope I have gotten this part correct!
As I have struggled with my understanding I have tried to look at several issues surrounding the Trinity. God is the first person of the Trinity. There is not much to misunderstand about Him. He is God, from the beginning, now and forever will be. God created everything and continually creates everything according to his will. He is forever unchanging, it is humans who change in order to better understand the incomprehensible being of God. God is the Trinity as much as Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
There are many issues that I can look at in trying to understand the Trinity. For instance, Mary, mother of Jesus or mother of God? Both perhaps, as she was the human mother of Jesus, but since Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity, who is God, then understandably, from simple deduction, the term Mother of God fits her quite easily and nicely.
The Lutheran Augsburg Confession speaks of the Trinity and states in Article I,
"Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; 2] that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and 3] yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term "person" 4] they use as the Fathers have used it, to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of itself."
The confession continues in Article III by stating about Jesus Christ,
“Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in 2] the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and 3] buried, that He might reconcile the Father unto us, and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men.”
As a Lutheran myself, with enormous respect for the Roman Catholic Church, I believe these two sections adequately describe the Holy Trinity, but does not help in the understanding of the Trinity.
Many Christians believe certain tenets of Christianity blindly, without question, but I want to understand why, while also believing. As the Augsburg Confession states the belief, which I recite and believe, I am forced to look further for a better understanding. Saint Augustine wrote an entire book trying to explain the mystery of the Trinity. At the end of his work, The Trinity, Saint Augustine wrote a prayer that stated,
“O Lord our God, we believe in you, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Truth would not have said, Go and baptize the nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), unless you were a triad. Nor would you have commanded us to be baptized, Lord God, in the name of any who is not Lord God. Nor would it have been said with divine authority, Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one God (Dt 6:4), unless while being a triad you were still one Lord God. And if you, God and Father, were yourself also the Son your Word Jesus Christ, were yourself also your gift the Holy Spirit, we would not read in the documents of truth God sent his Son (Gal 4:4), nor would you, only-begotten one, have said of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (Jn14:26) and whom I will send you from the Father (Jn 15:26)”
This I thought is a beautiful expression of the Trinity, and Augustine’s own personal struggle to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
The last couple of paragraphs were recitals of Luther’s confession and Saint Augustine’s understanding of the Trinity. This helps in my understanding of the Trinity, but I have not spoken much about scriptural basis for the Trinity. The Bible is riddled with references to the Trinity, but there are two sections I want to take a quick look at.
The first verse is John 3:31-35. It states,
“He who comes from above is above all others; he who is of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, but his testimony is not accepted by anybody; though anyone who does accept his testimony is attesting that God is true, since he who God has sent speaks God’s own words, for God gives him the Spirit without reserve. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to his hands.”
This scripture, as my meager understanding allows, is a perfect example of the Trinity being spoken of in scripture. This passage has all three persons of the Trinity. It seems quite complex, yet simple.
A second scriptural passage is also from John 4:21-24 Jesus said,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour is coming –indeed is already here—when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father seeks. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus spoke the truth, and is the Word of God. As this is a short article, I cannot go into the Old Testament and quote from it the Trinitarian passages, but there are many which has helped me to understand the Trinity.
I shall try to draw this article to a close, feeling that I have not adequately explained my journey in understanding the Trinity. I will try however to explain it again. The Trinity is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three natures of the Trinity are working as one God, not three separate persons, but one person with three natures. God is God, Jesus is God with a human nature and the Holy Spirit works through the Father and Son in creation. Jesus has both Divine and human nature as only God can forgive human sins, but it was Jesus’ human nature that died on the cross for humanity as God cannot die as seen in Jesus’ resurrection. There is but one God, forever unchanging, and Jesus’ human body was born of the Virgin Mary, but he is also eternal.
As Saint Augustine did, let me end with my own prayer:
Father, please forgive my ignorance as I attempt to understand all of your mysteries and give me patience with myself as I work towards that understanding. I pray for your eternal guidance, your redemptive Son, and work through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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